Widener University Overview

Widener University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chester, Pennsylvania. Chester is considered a suburb and offers tranquility and safety near the excitement of a city center.

What Is Widener University Known For?

• The student loan default rate at Widener is 5%, which is significantly lower than the national rate of 10.1%. That's great news for students who are worrying about paying off their student loans.
• The doctor's degree is the highest award offered at Widener.
• For the 2017-2018 academic year, 41% of the faculty were full-time.
• After graduation, Widener bachelor's degree recipients go on to jobs where they make $53,400 a year. That's about 31% more than their peers at other schools.
• It takes the average Widener student 4.2 years to graduate. This is pretty good when compared to the national rate of 4.4 years.

Widener University Rankings

Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.

Widener has been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.

Rank	Ranking Name	Share
#86	Best Associate Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It

Program Level Awards

These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at Widener.

Rank	Ranking Name	Share
#1	Best Allied Health Services Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#4	Most Popular Allied Health Services Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#8	Most Popular Other Psychology Bachelor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#21	Most Popular Social Work Master’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#22	Best Allied Health Professions Associate Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#30	Most Popular Public & Social Service Master’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#30	Most Popular Legal Professions Doctor’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#36	Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#66	Most Popular Clinical & Counseling Psychology Master’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It
#96	Most Popular Psychology Master’s Degree Schools	Tweet It - Post It

Awards From Around the Web

The following table lists some notable awards Widener has earned from around the web.

Rank	Ranking Name	Source
#1	Best Banking, Corporate, Finance, & Securities Law Doctor’s Degree Schools	College Factual
#2	Best Other Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services Associate Degree Schools	College Factual
#15	Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools	Healthcare Degree Search
#28	Best Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services Schools	College Factual
#97	Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools	College Factual
#123	Best Allied Health Professions Associate Degree Schools	College Factual

Where Is Widener University?

Contact details for Widener are given below.

	Contact Details
Address:	One University Place, Chester, PA 19013-5792
Phone:	610-499-4000
Facebook:	http://www.facebook.com/wideneruniversity
Twitter:	https://twitter.com/wideneruniv

How Do I Get Into Widener?

You can apply to Widener online at: www.widener.edu/admissions-aid/undergraduate-admissions/apply

Admission Requirements for Widener

Submission	Required?
High School GPA	required
High School Rank	recommended
High School Transcript	required
College Prep Program	recommended
Recommendations	recommended
SAT or ACT Scores	considered but not required
TOEFL	required

How Hard Is It To Get Into Widener?

Widener has an acceptance rate of 75%, which means that is not quite as selective as some other schools. Still, you'll need good grades and a solid application if you want to be admitted.

Approximately 43% of accepted students are men and 57% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 76%, and the acceptance rate for women is 74%.

Average Test Scores

About 92% of students accepted to Widener submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 515 and 600. Math scores were between 520 and 610.

Widener received ACT scores from 15% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT English scores ranged between 19 and 25. Math scores were between 18 and 26. Composite scores were between 20 and 26.

Can I Afford Widener University?

The overall average net price of Widener is $41,752. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group.

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.

Student Loan Debt

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At Widener, approximately 84% of students took out student loans averaging $12,217 a year. That adds up to $48,868 over four years for those students.

The student loan default rate at Widener is 4.8%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.

Widener University Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are 2,912 undergraduate students at Widener, with 2,633 being full-time and 279 being part-time.

There are also 3,238 graduate students at the school.

Gender Diversity

Of the 2,633 full-time undergraduates at Widener, 45% are male and 55% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

The racial-ethnic breakdown of Widener University students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	90
Black or African American	309
Hispanic or Latino	164
White	1,906
International Students	37
Other Races/Ethnicities	127

Geographic Diversity

Pennsylvania students aren't the only ones who study at Widener University. At this time, 15 states are represented by the student population at the school.

Over 39 countries are represented at Widener. The most popular countries sending students to the school are Saudi Arabia, China, and Vietnam.

Online Learning at Widener University

In 2019-2020, 6,109 students took at least one online class at the school.

The following chart shows how the online learning population at Widener has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 23rd most popular in Pennsylvania for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2019-2020.

Online Affordability Rankings of Widener

The following table shows how Widener is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.

Major	Tuition for In-State Students	Tuition for Out-of-State Students
Legal Research	#33	#33
Legal Professions	#51	#51

Online Affordability Rankings of Widener Rankings

The following table shows how Widener is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are mostly online.

Major	Tuition for In-State Students	Tuition for Out-of-State Students
Legal Research	#13	#13
Legal Professions	#22	#22
General Business/Commerce	#24	#24

Online Growth Rankings of Widener

The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at Widener University was 102.2%. This is the #421 largest growth rate of all schools that are mostly online. This refers to all students at Widener regardless of major.

The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of Widener majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.

Major	1-Year Growth Rate
Business, Management & Marketing	5%
General Business/Commerce	71%
Legal Professions	29%

The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at Widener ranks compared to all other mostly online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at Widener.

Major	Growth Rate Rank
Legal Research	#22
Legal Professions	#51
General Business/Commerce	#76
Business, Management & Marketing	#391

When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.

Widener University Undergraduate Concentrations

The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.

Major	Basic Certificate	Associate’s	Bachelor’s	Graduate Certificate	Master’s	Doctor’s	TOTAL
Social Work	0	0	10	0	296	8	314
Nursing	0	0	204	2	49	12	267
Law	0	0	0	0	0	251	251
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology	0	0	0	0	65	32	97
Business Administration & Management	0	0	14	0	51	0	65
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services	0	15	30	0	6	0	51
General Psychology	0	0	45	0	0	0	45
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions	0	0	0	0	0	44	44
Mechanical Engineering	0	0	38	0	5	0	43
Other Business, Management & Marketing	0	0	29	0	12	0	41
Accounting	0	0	39	0	0	0	39
General Biology	0	0	37	0	0	0	37
Civil Engineering	0	0	34	0	2	0	36
Public Health	0	0	0	0	32	3	35
Educational Administration	0	0	0	0	4	21	25
Criminal Justice & Corrections	0	0	20	1	3	0	24
Finance & Financial Management	0	0	21	0	0	0	21
Biomedical Engineering	0	0	17	0	4	0	21
Legal Research	0	0	0	0	16	2	18
Hospitality Management	0	0	15	0	1	0	16
Chemical Engineering	0	0	12	0	4	0	16
Teacher Education Grade Specific	0	0	11	0	4	0	15
Health & Medical Administrative Services	0	0	0	0	15	0	15
Other Psychology	0	0	15	0	0	0	15
Legal Support Services	6	4	4	0	0	0	14
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods	0	0	7	0	5	0	12
Computer Science	0	0	12	0	0	0	12
Electrical Engineering	0	0	11	0	1	0	12
Mental & Social Health Services	0	0	0	0	12	0	12
Teacher Education Subject Specific	0	0	4	0	5	2	11
Computer Information Systems	0	0	10	0	0	0	10
Allied Health Professions	0	2	6	0	0	0	8
Political Science & Government	0	0	8	0	0	0	8
Business/Managerial Economics	0	0	7	0	0	0	7
General Business/Commerce	0	0	0	0	7	0	7
Journalism	0	0	7	0	0	0	7
Public Relations & Advertising	0	0	7	0	0	0	7
Special Education	0	0	0	0	7	0	7
Student Counseling	0	0	0	0	5	0	5
General English Literature	0	0	5	0	0	0	5
Physics	0	0	5	0	0	0	5
General Education	0	0	0	0	4	0	4
Mathematics	0	0	4	0	0	0	4
Sociology	0	0	4	0	0	0	4
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology	0	0	3	0	0	0	3
Liberal Arts General Studies	0	2	1	0	0	0	3
Communication & Media Studies	0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Gerontology	0	0	0	0	2	0	2
Anthropology	0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Public Administration	0	0	0	0	2	0	2
Fine & Studio Arts	0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Human Resource Management	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
International Business	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Engineering-Related Fields	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
General Engineering	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Writing Studies	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Ethnic Studies	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Romance Languages	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Other Health Professions	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
History	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Natural Resources Conservation	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Chemistry	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
International Relations & National Security	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Taxation	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Information Science	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other Education	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Computer Engineering	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other Engineering	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Linguistics & Comparative Literature	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TOTAL	6	23	710	5	621	375	1,740

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• Image Credit: By User:Smallbones at English Wikipedia. under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.